Blaupunkt Alaska RDM168 Car CD Player

For someone who loves music as much as I do, I cannot explain why it took me so long to realize that the factory stereo in my '97 Honda Accord could be replaced. I suppose like many people, I was intimidated by the prospect of tinkering with my car's inner workings and the time/cost/hassle of hiring someone for the job. Then I went to the Crutchfield website and realized just how easy it is to do-it-yourself.

I chose the Alaska Blaupunkt because it was relatively cheap($199), won some industry awards, and I wanted a cd receiver coupled with more than a wimpy radio. The Sharx technology lives up to its hype. I now pick up many stations clearly that I never heard before. All this, without an external antenna! I also like the fact that you can adjust the DX sensitivity when scanning for different stations. I have not used the RDS functions(you can scan according to program type), because it is pretty limited where I live. There are 5 levels of presets: 1, 2, T, AM and AM travelstore. 6 stations can be stored in each level. The "T" stands for travelstore; you can automatically store the 6 strongest FM/AM signals in your respective area(for travellers), though you can use it as a normal preset level too.

The CD receiver is very basic/low-key and relatively stable. It does not skip when you hit the vicious potholes, but it does seem sensitive to scratched discs. This is only a minor inconveinance. The sound quality is quite good. I could say excellent, but since I am comparing it to my prior factory tape deck(used with tape adapter & discman), I don't want to get carried away. I have a discerning music ear, but not a psycho- expert one. Another CD feature it has that is taken for granted; it picks up where you last left a song(switching to-fro radio, or powering back on again). You can fastforward or rewind thru a track, by holding down the >> or << key. One missing feature, is the ability to inverse the CD track time display to show time remaining, and also display of the cd's total# of tracks and total time. But then again, you'd be hard-pressed to find this feature on any car cd receiver....CD repeat disc/track, pause, and random all supported.

Some have criticized the button layout of the interface, but I think it is all thoughtfully well-placed. They have a pleasant tactile feel. The bottom 6 numbered buttons, light up blue, as does the power-on button nestled in the center of the volume knob. (Hence the name Blaupunkt, "blue point") The problem can be that the buttons may be rather small for people with big hands. The volume dial is rather flat and is not meant to be turned with two fingers; rather with one finger, since the surface of the dial has upraised/braille grippy dots.
No biggie. Like some others, I have found a few buttons(two, the >> and dsc buttons) to be abit unresponsive; they work, but you have to press them abit harder than the others. My >> key on the round dial on the interface's right is particularly stubborn, and I am considering sending it in before my one year warranty expires. The LCD Display is hard to read on sunny days, but this is not uncommon for many receivers at this price-level. The Face detaches nicely without getting caught, and fits snugly in the provided plastic case.

There is no 3 or 5 band graphic equalizer, but in its stead there are two parametric filters(huh?) that you can use to manipulate the sound to your liking. The first filter is LOW-EQ(32hz-500hz) and the second filter is HIGH-EQ(630hz-10,000hz). In addition, there is the usual Treble and Bass Settings and a Loudness setting.

The Alaska has many other chi-chi European features perhaps we Americans are too declasse to appreciate: the power on button doubles as a mute button(you can set the mute volume level), the volume when you power-on can be programmed to your liking, auto-mute if your cellphone rings(mais oui!), you can name up to 30 cds, you can adjust the volume-level of the beep made when you make programming changes, cd-scan and radio-scan for 2-second(adjustable, mais oui!) scan of cd contents or area radio stations,
and many others. There is also built-in support for a Blaupunkt 6-cd changer....I highly recommend buying the auxiliary adapter(attaches to the back) that allows you to hook up a walkman or mp3 player. It costs an additional $20.

All in all, this is a great entry-level cd receiver for the car stereo novice who wishes to significantly upgrade his car's factory stereo.
The Alaska is a few years old, so you can get it on the cheap(less than $200) now. It does not have the fancy dot-matrix display or robotically retract into your dashboard at your command, but its solid all-around design and precocious radio will keep your wayward fingers occupied for sometime. The Blaupunkt Alaska is the strong, silent type.